Furnishings from beyond the grave.

— We extract the following passage from a letter that one of the correspondents of the Jura Department sent to the Parisian Society of Spiritist Studies:

“ (…) As I had already told you, sir, the Spirits were fond of our old dwelling. Last October , the Countess of C., an intimate friend of my daughter, came to spend a few days at our manor, accompanied by her little son of eight years. The boy slept in the same apartment as his mother. So that he and my daughter might prolong the hours of the day and of conversation, the connecting door between their rooms remained open. The little boy was not sleeping, and he said to his mother: ‘What will you do about that man who is sitting beside your bed? He is smoking a large pipe. See how he fills the room with smoke; send him away; he is shaking the curtains.’ Such a vision lasted the whole night through. The mother could not get the child to be quiet, and no one could close an eye. This circumstance did not surprise either me or my daughter, for we know that there are Spiritist manifestations. As for the mother, she imagined that her son was dreaming while awake, or was amusing himself. “Here is another personal fact that happened to me in that same room, in May 1858. It is the apparition of the Spirit of a living person, who was much astonished to have come to visit me. Here are the circumstances: I was very ill and had not slept for some time, when, at ten o’clock at night, I saw a friend of the family seated near my bed. I expressed to him my surprise at his visit at that hour. He said to me: ‘Do not speak; I come to watch over you; do not speak; you must sleep.’ And he stretched his hand over my head. I opened my eyes several times to see whether he was still there, and each time he made me a sign to close them and to keep quiet. He was turning a snuffbox between his fingers and, from time to time, took a pinch, as he was accustomed to do. At last I fell asleep, and upon waking the vision had disappeared. Various circumstances proved to me that at the moment of this unexpected visit I was perfectly awake, and that it was not a dream. When he did in fact visit me for the first time, I hastened to thank him. He carried the same snuffbox and, as he listened to me, displayed the same smile of kindness that I had noticed when he was watching over me. As he assured me he had not come—which, moreover, was not difficult for me to believe, since there would have been no motive impelling him to come at such an hour to spend the night beside me—I understood that only his Spirit had come to visit me, while his body rested tranquilly in his house.” n

— The facts of apparition are so numerous that it would be impossible to record all those that are within our knowledge or that have been obtained from perfectly authentic sources. Moreover, today, now that the facts are explained, and that we account exactly for the manner in which they are produced, we know that they belong to the laws of Nature and therefore have nothing marvelous about them. As we have already given their complete theory [Theory of physical manifestations], we shall only recall it, in a few words, for the desirable understanding of what follows. Besides the corporeal, exterior envelope, we know that the Spirit possesses another, semi-material, which we call the perispirit. Death is nothing other than the destruction of the first. In its wandering state the Spirit retains the perispirit, which constitutes a kind of ethereal body, invisible to us in its normal state. The Spirits people space and, if at a given moment the veil that hides them from us were lifted, we would see an immense population stirring about us and traversing the air. We have them constantly at our side, observing us and, very often, associating themselves with our occupations and our pleasures, according to their character. Invisibility is not an absolute property of the Spirits; very often they show themselves to us under the appearance they had in life, and there are not a few people who, searching through their recollections, would not remember some fact of this kind. The theory of these apparitions is very simple and is explained by a comparison that is quite familiar to us: that of vapor which, when very rarefied, is completely invisible. A first degree of condensation makes it nebulous; more and more condensed, it passes to the liquid state, then to the solid state. Something similar takes place by the will of the Spirits in the substance of the perispirit; as we have already said, we mean to establish only a comparison, and not an assimilation. We make use of the example of vapor to show the changes of aspect that an invisible body may undergo, and one must not conclude from this that there is in the perispirit a condensation, in the proper sense of the word. There takes place in its texture a molecular modification that renders it visible and even tangible, capable of giving it, up to a certain point, the properties of solid bodies. We know that perfectly transparent bodies become opaque by a simple change in the position of the molecules, or by the addition of another body equally transparent, but we do not well know how the Spirits do it to render their ethereal body visible. The greater part of them do not even come to account for it, although, by the examples cited, we understand its physical possibility, which is sufficient to remove from the phenomenon that which, at first sight, might appear supernatural. The Spirit may, then, operate either by a simple intimate modification, or by assimilating a portion of foreign fluid that momentarily alters the aspect of its perispirit. It is indeed this latter hypothesis that emerges from the explanations that have been given to us and that we related in treating of the subject (May, June, and December). [Theory of physical manifestations and Apparitions.]

— Up to this point there is no difficulty as regards the personality of the Spirit. We know, however, that they present themselves with garments whose aspect they change at will; very often they even possess certain accessories of the toilet, jewels, etc. In the two apparitions that we cited at the beginning, one had a pipe and produced smoke; the other possessed a snuffbox and took pinches; and note well the fact that this Spirit belonged to a living person and that his snuffbox was in every respect similar to the one he habitually used, and which had remained in his house. What could this snuffbox, this pipe, these garments, and these jewels signify? Would earthly material objects have an ethereal representation in the invisible world? Would the condensed matter that forms such objects have a quintessentialized part, which escapes our senses? Here is an immense problem, whose solution may give the key to a multitude of things until now unexplained; and it is this snuffbox that sets us on the road, not only to this fact, but to the most extraordinary phenomenon of Spiritism: that of pneumatography or direct writing, of which we shall speak immediately afterward. If some critics still reproach us for the fact that we are advancing too far into theory, we shall reply that we see no reason whatever to keep ourselves in the rear when we find an opportunity to advance. If they are still amusing themselves with the turning tables, without knowing why they turn, that is no reason for us to stop along the road. Spiritism, no doubt, is a science of observation, but perhaps it is still more a science of reasoning; and reasoning is the only means of making it progress and of triumphing over certain resistances. Such a fact is contested solely because it is not understood; the explanation removes from it all marvelous character, making it enter into the general laws of Nature. This is why we daily see people who have never seen and yet believed, simply because they understood, while others have seen and do not believe, because they do not understand. By making Spiritism enter the path of reasoning, we render it acceptable to those who wish to know the why and the how of all things; and the number of these is great in this century, for blind belief is no longer part of customs. Now, even if we had merely indicated the route, we would already have the consciousness of having contributed to the progress of this new science, the object of our constant studies. But let us return to our snuffbox. All the theories that we have presented, relative to Spiritism, were given by the Spirits, very often contrary to our own ideas, as happened in the present case, proving that the answers were not the reflection of our thought. But the manner of obtaining a solution is no trifling matter. We know, by experience, that it is not enough to ask abruptly for a thing in order to obtain it; the answers are not always sufficiently explicit; it is necessary to develop the subject with a certain precaution, to arrive at the end gradually and by a chain of deductions, which require preliminary work. In principle, the manner of formulating the questions, the order, the method, and the clarity are things that must not be neglected and that please serious Spirits, because they see in them a serious purpose.

— Here is the conversation we had with the Spirit of Saint Louis, concerning the snuffbox, with a view to the solution of the problem of the production of certain objects in the invisible world. (Society, June 24, 1859):

In the account of Mme R…, it concerns a child who saw, near his mother’s bed, a man smoking a large pipe. One understands that this Spirit may have taken the appearance of a man who was smoking, but it seems that he was really smoking, since the boy saw the room filled with smoke. What was that smoke? Answer. – An appearance, produced for the boy.

Mme R… likewise cites a case of personal apparition, of the Spirit of a living person. This Spirit had a snuffbox, from which he took pinches. Did he experience the sensation that an individual experiences who does the same? Answer. – No.

That snuffbox had the form of the one he habitually used and which was kept in his house. What was the said box in the hands of the apparition?

Answer. – Always an appearance. It was so that the circumstance would be noticed, as it really was, and that the apparition would not be taken for a hallucination due to the seer’s state of health. The Spirit wanted the lady in question to believe in the reality of his presence and, for that, he took on all the appearances of reality.

You say that it is an appearance; but an appearance has nothing real about it, it is like an optical illusion. We should like to know whether that snuffbox was merely an image without reality, for example, that of an object reflected in a mirror. (Mr. Sanson, one of the members of the Society, observes that in the image reproduced in the mirror there is something real; if it does not remain in it, that is because nothing fixes it there; but if it were projected upon a plate of the daguerreotype n it would leave an impression, evident proof that it is produced by some substance and is not simply an optical illusion).

Mr. Sanson’s observation is perfectly correct. Would you have the kindness to tell us whether there is any analogy with the snuffbox, that is, whether there was in it something material?

Answer. – Certainly. It is with the aid of this material principle that the perispirit takes on the appearance of garments similar to those the Spirit wore when incarnate.

Observation. – It is evident that the word appearance must here be taken in the sense of aspect, imitation. The real snuffbox was not there; the one the Spirit allowed to be seen was merely a reproduction of it: it was, then, with relation to the original, a simple appearance, although formed of a material principle.

Experience teaches that one must not always give a literal significance to certain expressions used by the Spirits. Interpreting them according to our ideas, we expose ourselves to great misunderstandings. Hence the necessity of fathoming the meaning of their words, every time they present the least ambiguity. This is an observation that the Spirits constantly make to us. Without the explanation we provoked, the term appearance, which continually recurs in analogous cases, might lend itself to a false interpretation.

Could it be that inert matter unfolds itself? Or that there is in the invisible world an essential matter, capable of taking the form of the objects we see? In a word, would these have their ethereal double in the invisible world, as men are represented in it by the Spirits? Observation. – This is a theory like any other, and that was our thought; the Spirit, however, did not take it into consideration, which absolutely did not humble us, because his explanation seemed to us very logical and sustained by a principle more general, whose application we often find.

Answer. – That is not how things happen. Over the material elements disseminated throughout all points of space, in your atmosphere, the Spirits have a power that you are far from suspecting. They can, then, concentrate these elements at will and give them the apparent form that corresponds to that of material objects.

I again formulate the question, in a categorical manner, in order to avoid any and all misunderstanding: Are the garments with which the Spirits cover themselves something?

Answer. – It seems that my preceding answer resolves the question. Do you not know that the perispirit itself is something?

It results, from this explanation, that the Spirits cause ethereal matter to pass through whatever transformations they wish and that, therefore, with respect to the snuffbox, the Spirit did not find it completely made; he made it himself, at the moment he had need of it. And, in the same way that he made it, he could unmake it. The same naturally holds for all the other objects, such as garments, jewels, etc. Is it so? Answer. – But evidently.

The snuffbox became so visible to the lady in question that it produced in her the illusion of a material snuffbox. Could the Spirit have rendered it tangible to her?

Answer. – He could have.

Could that lady have taken it in her hands, believing she was holding a true snuffbox?

Answer. – Yes. [Attention to questions no. 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 22.]

If she had opened it, would she have found snuff in it? And, if she had inhaled it, would it have made her sneeze?

Answer. – Without doubt.

Can the Spirit, then, give to an object not only the form, but also special properties?

Answer. – If he wishes. It was based on this principle that I answered affirmatively to the preceding questions. You will have proofs of the powerful action that the Spirits exercise over matter, an action that you are far from suspecting, as I said a moment ago.

Let us suppose, then, that he wished to make a poisonous substance. If a person ingested it, would they be poisoned?

Answer. – He could have, but he would not do it, since that is not permitted to him .

Could he make a salutary substance, proper for curing an illness? And has any case of this kind already occurred?

Answer. – Yes, many times.

Observation. – We find a similar fact, accompanied by an interesting theoretical explanation, in the article we give below, under the title An Obliging Spirit.

Then, could he also make an alimentary substance? Let us suppose that he made a fruit, some dish or other: if someone could eat the fruit or the dish, would they be satiated?

Answer. – They would, yes; but do not search so much to find what is so easy to understand. A single ray of sun suffices to render perceptible to your gross organs those material particles that fill the space in which you live. Do you not know that the air contains vapors of water? Condense them and you will make them return to the normal state. Deprive them of heat and behold, those impalpable and invisible molecules will become a solid body, and a very solid one; and so, many other substances from which the chemists will draw marvels still more astonishing. Simply, the Spirit disposes of more perfect instruments than yours: the will and the permission of God. Observation. – The question of satiety is here very important. How can satiety be produced by a substance whose existence and properties are merely temporary and, in a certain way, conventional? What happens is that this substance, by its contact with the stomach, produces the sensation of satiety, but not the satiety that results from fullness. Since a substance of this nature can act upon the economy [the organism] and modify a morbid state, it can also, perfectly well, act upon the stomach and produce the impression of satiety. We beg, however, the gentlemen pharmacists and inventors of restoratives not to be filled with zeal, nor to believe that the Spirits come to compete with them. These cases are rare, exceptional, and never depend on the will. Otherwise, every body would feed and cure themselves at the cheapest price.

In the same way, could the Spirit fabricate coins?

Answer. – For the same reason.

The objects that, by the will of the Spirit, become tangible, could they remain with this character of permanence and stability?

Answer. – That could happen, but it does not. It is outside the laws.

Do all Spirits have, in the same degree, this power?

Answer. – No, no!

Which are those that more particularly have this power?

Answer. – Those to whom God grants it, when it is useful.

Does the elevation of the Spirit have any usefulness?

Answer. – Certainly; the more elevated the Spirit, the more easily it obtains this power; but this still depends on the circumstances: inferior Spirits can also have this power.

Does the production of semi-material objects always result from an act of the Spirit’s will, or does it sometimes exercise this power in spite of itself?

Answer. – It exercises it frequently, even without knowing it.

Would this power, then, be one of the attributes, one of the faculties inherent in the very nature of the Spirit? Would it be, in some way, one of its properties, like that of seeing and hearing?

Answer. – Certainly, although very often it itself is unaware of it. Then, another exercises it on its behalf, in spite of itself, when the circumstances require it.

The zouave’s tailor was precisely the Spirit of whom I have just spoken and to whom he alluded in his witty language. [see questions 43 and 44 in the article: The Zouave of Magenta.]

Observation. – We find a comparison of this faculty in that of certain animals – the electric fish, for example n – which emits electricity without knowing what it does, nor how it comes about and, still less, without knowing the mechanism that sets it in action. Frequently do we not ourselves produce certain effects by spontaneous acts, of which we do not account? – It seems to us, therefore, very natural that the Spirit may act in this circumstance by a kind of instinct. It produces by its will, without knowing how, just as we walk without calculating the forces that are at play.

In the two cases cited by Mme R…, we understand that one of the Spirits wished to have a pipe and the other a snuffbox, in order to strike the eyes of a living person. I ask, however, whether the Spirit could think that it possessed these objects, in case it had not succeeded in making her see them, thus creating an illusion for itself. Answer. – No, if it has a certain superiority, because it has perfect consciousness of its condition. It is otherwise with the inferior Spirits.

Observation. – Such was, for example, the case of the queen of Oude, whose evocation is related in our number of March

and who still believed herself covered with diamonds.

Is it possible for two Spirits to recognize each other by the material appearance they possessed in life?

Answer. – It is not by this means that they recognize each other, for they will not take on that appearance for one another. However, if in certain circumstances they should find themselves in each other’s presence, clothed in that appearance, why would they not recognize each other?

How can the Spirits recognize each other amid a multitude of other Spirits, and, above all, how can they do so when one of them goes to seek far away, and frequently in other worlds, those who call it?

Answer. – This is a problem whose solution would demand much time; one must wait. You are not sufficiently advanced. Content yourselves, for the moment, with the certainty that it is so, for you have sufficient proofs.

Since the Spirit can extract from the universal element the materials to make all things, and with their properties give them a temporary reality, it can perfectly well extract what is necessary for it to write. Consequently, will this give us the key to the phenomenon of direct writing? Answer. – At last you have understood.

If the matter the Spirit makes use of has no persistence, how is it that the traces of direct writing do not disappear?

Answer. – Do not judge to the letter; from the beginning I did not say never; it was a question of a voluminous material object; here they are inscribed signs which it is fitting to preserve and which are preserved.

— The above theory may be summed up in this manner: the Spirit acts upon matter; from the universal cosmic matter it draws the elements necessary to form, at its good pleasure, objects that have the appearance of the various bodies existing on Earth. It can likewise, by the action of its will, operate in elementary matter an intimate transformation, which confers upon it determined properties. This faculty is inherent in the nature of the Spirit, which often exercises it in an instinctive manner, when necessary, without perceiving it. The objects that the Spirit forms have a temporary existence, subordinate to its will, or to a need that it experiences. It can make them and unmake them freely. In certain cases, these objects, in the eyes of living persons, may present all the appearances of reality, that is, become momentarily visible and even tangible. There is formation; but not creation, considering that, from nothing, the Spirit can draw nothing. n [1] Translator’s note: See The Mediums’ Book – Second Part – Chapter VII – item 116.

[2] [In the original “torpille,” Torpedo — Family of fishes Torpedinidae that includes among others the Torpedo fuscomaculata and the Torpedo sinuspersici. See also:

Organe électrique de la torpille.]

[3] Translator’s note: See The Mediums’ Book – Second Part – Chapter VIII.